Ramanathaswamy Temple and Dhanushkodi
Madurai · 11 hrs · Cab included · Pickup from your stay
From ₹2990 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹2990 for the vehicle.
- Tata Sumo: Rugged 8-seater. The most room for the money. ₹3490 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The comfortable one on a long hill day. ₹4990 for the vehicle.
Rameswaram, from the temple's first hours to the end of the road
Rameswaram is a temple town on an island, joined to the mainland by a 2 km road bridge, and a long road runs south-east from it down a spit of sand to Dhanushkodi and Arichal Munai, where India stops. Almost every visitor wants both, and they pull in opposite directions through the day.
The temple is best at its earliest: the sea bath at Agni Theertham, the twenty-two wells, then darshan before the coaches from Madurai arrive. Dhanushkodi is the other way round. The road is open by day only, police turn vehicles back from late afternoon, and the sand and sea there are fierce at noon. So this day does the temple first, the spit through the middle, and the memorial and the bridges on the way back as the light softens.
This day is based in Rameswaram, not Madurai. Madurai is about 175 km away, and a round trip with Dhanushkodi on top is about 400 km and fourteen hours, which is no way to see a temple. Stay a night on the island and the day becomes what it should be. Madurai has ride-hailing; Rameswaram's island roads, for practical purposes, do not, so the car is yours for the day at one flat price.
Your day, stop by stop
1. Ramanathaswamy Temple and Agni Theertham
One of the twelve jyotirlingas, with the longest pillared corridors of any temple in India. Pilgrims bathe in the sea at Agni Theertham first, then in the twenty-two wells inside the temple, then go for darshan. Go early; by mid-morning the queues are long.
Theertham bath and special darshan tickets at the temple counters
2. Panchamukhi Hanuman Temple
A small temple a short drive from the main one, known for the floating stones kept in a tank inside. Ten minutes, and it is on the way out of town.
3. Kothandaramaswamy Temple
The one building to survive the 1964 cyclone on the Dhanushkodi road, on a strip of sand between two seas. Tradition places Vibhishana's surrender to Rama here.
4. Dhanushkodi
A port town the 1964 cyclone took in a night. The church, the station and the post office still stand roofless in the sand, with fishermen's huts among them and the sea on both sides of the road.
5. Arichal Munai
Where the national highway stops, at the tip of the spit: the Bay of Bengal on one side, the Gulf of Mannar on the other, and Sri Lanka about thirty kilometres beyond. Police clear it before dark.
6. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam National Memorial
The memorial to the former President at Peikarumbu, his hometown, on the road back towards the bridge. Galleries of his life and work, and a quiet hour for anyone who grew up on his books.
7. The Pamban bridges
The 2 km road bridge to the mainland, with the 1914 rail bridge and its 2025 replacement beside it, the new one with a vertical lift span for ships. The view is from the Pamban end, where stopping is allowed.
In your price
- Private vehicle with driver for the day
- Pickup and drop at your stay in Rameswaram
- Fuel, tolls, driver allowance and parking at every stop
- Dhanushkodi timed well inside its access hours
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- Temple bath and darshan tickets
- Transfers from Madurai or anywhere else to Rameswaram
- Meals
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- Theertham bath tickets and special darshan tickets at the temple
- Footwear and phone deposits at the temple
- Lunch and anything personal
Who this suits
Pilgrims first, and anyone drawn by Dhanushkodi's ruins and the end of the road. The temple morning is long, wet and barefoot; the rest of the day is easy. Non-Hindus can see the corridors but are not permitted beyond the flagstaff into the inner shrines. The sedan seats four, the Tata Sumo eight and the Innova six, each at one flat price for the car.
What to bring
A full change of clothes and a towel if you are doing the theertham baths. Temple dress: men in a dhoti or trousers with a shirt, women in a saree or salwar, no shorts, jeans or sleeveless tops. Sun protection and water for Dhanushkodi, where there is no shade. Cash for tickets and lunch.
The spit closes in rough weather
Police close the Dhanushkodi road during storm and swell alerts, most often in the northeast monsoon from October to December. If it is closed on your day the temple, the memorial and the bridges still run, or you can choose a free reschedule. If the whole island is under a weather alert you get a full refund.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Run by a licensed local ground operator, one driver per vehicle, commercially registered and insured. The sea at Dhanushkodi and Arichal Munai has strong currents and is not for swimming, whatever others are doing. Follow police instructions at the spit; they clear it before dark for good reason.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. It is one price for the whole vehicle for the day. Eight of you in the Tata Sumo pay ₹3,490 between you, not each.
Can we do this as a day trip from Madurai?
Not on this booking. Madurai is about 175 km each way, so the day would be about 400 km and fourteen hours, with the temple rushed at one end and Dhanushkodi at the other. We base it in Rameswaram so neither is.
Can we drive right to Arichal Munai?
Yes, on most days. The national highway runs to the tip and cars are allowed during the day. Police close the road in bad weather and turn vehicles back from late afternoon, which is why we go at midday.
Can we take the train across the new Pamban bridge instead?
Trains run across it between the mainland and Rameswaram, and it is a good way to arrive. This day uses the road bridge beside it, which also gives the best view of both rail bridges.